Vault 4
by YukinaLoveStories
Summary: Four years after Harry Potter disappears Voldemort goes to collect his inheritance. Only there is something strange in his vault
"Screw you old man! I've had enough!" Several of the silver devices on a nearby desk exploded.

"Harry, please behave," Dumbledore tried, using his grandfatherly tone, wincing at the loss of his precious gadgets.

"No! After all I've done for you all. You tell me I also have to die?" Harry looked around the room at the Order of The Phoenix, at all the people that he had thought he could trust. "You think you can just tell me I have a duty to die?"

Mad-Eye stomped forward, "Now listen here boy, we didn't come all this way for you to back out. It's for the good of the wizarding world. If we could do it we would but it has to be you. So step up and do your duty!"

"You can't be serious," he exclaimed, "You guys agree right?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"You're the chosen- one Harry," Ron said glumly. Hermione kept her eyes focused on the ground.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasely? Remus? Tonks?" no one would meet his eye. "This is bullshit! You want me to die for your future? Not a chance."

"Harry," Dumbledore started, as if he was reprimanding a small child, "It is for the greater good."

"Screw your greater good and screw your sense of entitlement! I don't owe you guys anything."

"It's what your parents would have wanted," whispered Remus.

"Oh? Is that why my mother stepped in front of an Avada Kedavra for me?" he snapped sarcastically, "You can't honestly believe my parents wanted me to die." The room stood silent. Harry clenched his fists and surveyed the room. "Fine!"

Dumbledore perked up, twinkle back in his eyes, "So you will fulfill your duty."

Harry locked eyes with Dumbledore. "Screw that," he raised his wand, "I bet you're going to regret teaching me to apparate." Several people moved to create an anti-apparation ward, but Harry had already turned on his heel and with a crack he was gone.

Dumbledore looked solemnly to his followers, "My friends, we have lost the war."

Within a year the light had fallen. Pockets of light still resided but they no longer fought. The dark had been in power for four years now and the public had gotten used to the change in power. It had taken four years for the assassination attempts and riots to stop but finally Britain was as peaceful as it could be.

"My lord," Lucius asked, "Why do you feel the need to personally go to Gringotts?" They walked down Diagon Ally to the marble steps of the bank; death eaters followed them from the shadows. "It isn't safe to go in person."

"Lucius," Voldemort began exasperatedly, "You yourself were the one who told me last week that the assassination attempts had stopped and it was relatively safe to go out in public. Do you mean to tell me that you lied?"

"I said 'relatively' my lord, I did not mean for you to tempt fate by going to the busiest area in wizarding Britain."

"I have faith in my shadows," He gestured to the death eaters off to the side. "Besides," he admitted after they had entered the more private area of Gringotts, "Due to my busy youth and the past two wars I never actually accepted my Slytherin Lordship. I am only Heir of Slytherin and only in name."

The Dark Lord pushed open the doors to the bank and strolled in .Patrons stilled and Goblins turned as the Dark Lord entered the bank. Voldemort ignored it all and continued towards the main dais. The goblin did not look up. Voldemort cleared his throat and the goblin looked up. "Name and purpose," the Goblin asked, unfazed by the Dark Lord's presence.

Voldemort glared at the creature, but did not say anything.( It was best not to insult goblins since doing so allowed them to take ten percent of one's vault. The last prime minister to make a goblin treaty was an idiot.) So instead he stated, "Dark Lord Voldemort," several of the patrons jumped and he smirked, "I need an audience with head goblin Ragnok."

The goblin hopped down from his tall stool that brought him eye-height with wizards and waddled away, "Follow me, please." The please was added almost as an after though so as not to annoy the current wizard leader.

The pair of wizards were lead down twisting corridors and back again, it seemed, until they reached a large set of gold hinged doors. The goblin knocked and a voice bade them to enter.

A goblin sat at a huge desk and motioned them to the chairs. "I am Ragnok, I believe that you have business with me Mr. Riddle?"

Voldemort bristled, "Voldemort," he pressed.

The goblin waved a hand lazily, smirking, "Yes, Yes. Lord Voldemort? What reason to visit do you have with me?"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the goblin's brazed actions, but continued, "I wish to claim the Slytherin lordship."

The goblin smirked, "We were wondering when you would claim it." Off to the side he snapped, "Bogrod! Bring me the Slytherin papers."

The goblin who had escorted them poked his head inside, "Yes sir," and ran off.

Ragnok continued to smirk at the two wizards making them incredibly uneasy until Bogrod returned with a bowl and several parchments. Ragnok arranged the parchments and the bowl until his was satisfied. "Cut your finger with this," he produced a knife, "and bleed onto this," he gestured to a black parchment.

"And this will do what?" Voldemort asked.

"Provide a family tree to prove that you are the rightful heir."

"How dare you assume that I am false!" he seethed.

"Forgive me 'Lord Voldemort'," the goblin mocked, "it is simply a formality. Voldemort narrowed his eyes, but did as he was told. It seemed that goblins had absolutely no respect. He sliced his finger allowing blood to drop to the parchment. Immediately the blood spread across the parchment drawing lines and names until a pedigree starting with him and ending with Salazar Slytherin. "It seems you are the closest relation to Lord Slytherin alive," the goblin drawled.

"Continue with the process."

The goblin sneered, and collected the bowl Bogrod had retrieved. "Three drops of blood into this bowl no more no less." Blood was spilt and Ragnok poured a sliver potion into the bowl. "Now if the family magic accepts you the lordship ring will appear in the bowl." The silver liquid began to swirl like a whirlpool and finally vanished leaving an emerald and silver ring at the bottom.

Voldemort slipped the ring on. "I wish to see the Slytherin portfolios."

Ragnok pushed a parchment and quill across the desk. "First sign this." Voldemort huffed and made to sign but he couldn't get his had to right an 'L'. The goblin smirked. "With your full legal name: Tom Marvolo Slytherin Riddle." Voldemort barred his teeth. "Your lordship will not be legal otherwise," Ragnok taunted. The parchment was signed.

Ranok snapped his fingers and the parchment disappeared and was replaced by a think leather portfolio, overflowing with parchment. The goblin unbound it carefully, "What would you wish to see first?"

Lucius leaned forward, "My lord, if I may? It would be prudent to check on the contents of your vaults first and then to properties and investments."

Voldemort nodded his assent and was handed a thick sheaf of parchment. At the top the words 'Slytherin Main Vault' we scrawled and beneath it lists of money, books, objects, connected vaults etc. Voldemort scanned it with no real interest he already had money what else could he need? Parseltongue books? Dark artifacts? Nothing of real- "What is this he demanded?"

Ragnok leaned forward, "To what do you refer, Lord Slytherin?"

Voldemort pointed to the last line of the list. "This entry… It says one human body. Deposited four years ago." Ragnok's face remained blank. "Who deposited it? Is it alive?"

"It was when it was deposited" Voldemort and Lucius gaped. "The only way to find out would be to visit the vault since even I am not at liberty to discuss much about the contents of the vault."

"Very well."

Ragnok hopped off his high chair and pulled a book on a bookcase that swung open to revel a cart and track. "It is for high profile clients, such as yourself." They climbed into the cart and Lucius huffed at not being a 'high profile client'. They had barely sat down when the cart took off at tremendous speed, forcing all the passengers to hold on.

"Is this necessary?" Lucius yelled.

"It is if you would like to reach vault four in a reasonable amount of time."

Lucius gapped. Vault 4? There was an actual thing? Even the Malfoy vault was in the 100s and Malfoys were one of the oldest families in Great Britain.

The cart came to a screeching halt and the trio got out. The two wizards stumbled around after the ride. Voldemort finally turned to their goblin escort waiting for him to open the vault as was the custom for Girngotts vaults. . Ragnok noticed, "This particular vault can only be opened by a parseltongue."

That alone should have rang warning bells in Voldemort's head. After all wasn't he the only parseltongue alive? However, he simply turned to the snake on the door and looked into its emerald eyes and whispered. *Open* The emerald eyes glowed and the doors audibly clicked and swung open. And standing there in the middle of his Slytherin vault, with no shirt on, was Harry Fucking Potter.

He should have seen it coming. He really should have. He probably should have figured it out when the goblin had said that only parseltongues could open the vault. After all to deposit something into the vault wouldn't it have to be opened with parseltongue, and didn't Severus tell him that the boy had spoken to snakes in his second year? But he honestly hadn't thought of this. He had assumed the boy had gone into the muggle world. Maybe gone to America where no one would notice him? But no. The boy who lived was standing in the middle of HIS vault shirtless with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

Instantly his wand was out, as was Lucius'. "Potter!"

"Woah. Woah. Wait, put the wands down please." Potter said or at least that is what Voldemort assumed he said as the toothbrush made it hard for the boy to talk properly. Satisfied that he wasn't about to be cursed, Harry walked over to a sink in the corner and continued brushing his teeth.

Voldemort turned to Ragnok, "THIS is the body that was deposited four years ago?" Ragnok's grin was positively feral as he nodded. "Who deposited him? And into my vault no less?"

Potter had evidently finished brushing his teeth as he popped between them to explain, "I deposited myself." He grinned and went to the wardrobe in the corner he had apparently chosen as his bedroom. "I thought to myself," he continued, "Where could I go where Dumbledore couldn't find me. It would have to be out of the country, but unfortunately you had Death Eaters watching the border and monitoring all out of country portkeys so that wasn't an option. But them being the magical, brilliant human being that I am thought of Gringotts. So I deposited myself in here and since you haven't claimed your Lordship until now I have been safe and since you have not killed me yet I imagine myself to be safe still."

"How are you not dead? Where do you get your food?" Lucius had found his tongue.

"Uh, you do realized that house elves can apparate through any type of wards and into any vault. It's actually a major security flaw when you think about it," Harry said thoughtfully, "Plus anything else I need I can either call a house elf for or is in this vault. Nice collection of Parselbooks by the way."

"You just decided to hide here and let the world burn, Potter?" Lucius sneered.

"I doubt it's actually burning," Harry snarked back, "burning the world wouldn't gain you anything ergo you won't do it."

"You think that you're so smart Potter."

"Well, yes, actually how many people do you know who could just disappear for four years without anyone having a clue where you went?"

"Get off your high horse Potter"

"Wow if you whine anymore you'll sound like your son, or Snape. Like a Malfoy-Snape hybrid." He shuddered, "Can two wizards have a baby."

At this point Voldemort thought it prudent to break up whatever was going on before Lucius started to blow steam out his ears. "Lucius that is enough. Well Potter that does tell us why you're here but that doesn't help me decide what to do with you."

"Well I was hoping you'd let me out of here and go on and live my life. After all I only wanted to escape the war."

"Or I could just kill you."

Potter grinned, "You see that's the best part you can't!"

Voldemort pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Potter boy… well now it was the Potter man. "Really?"

Potter held his hands up in surrender. "I guess I should have said 'won't'. You won't kill me."

"Enlighten me."

"You see the reason I ran from The Order is because I don't want to die. I quite like my life and they really would have liked to put an end to it. Which is bollocks if you ask me-"

"Get on with it Potter."

"Fine. I'm your horcrux."

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

"What?"

"That night you went to kill me you were all set to make a horcrux. Unfortunately for you the killing curse bounced of me and you killed yourself. Which I guess is murder enough to split you soul and put it in an object. An object that just happened to be me." Potter looked surprisingly calm.

"And you're okay with that?"

"I spent four years here coming to terms with that." Voldemort looked conflicted as he tried to form a sentence. "And after four years here I'd really like to leave. I'll even make an unbreakable vow saying that I won't kill you."

"Oh?"

"Sure, sure, and help you with your regime or something. I'm going to get bored so I might as well have a job," Harry carried on as he waved his hands around, carefree.

"You'd be okay following a dark regime?" Voldemort asked, amused.

"Like I've said, I spent four years here and all the books and artifacts are dark if I wasn't already grey when I came here I sure am now."

Voldemort held out his hand and Potter shook it a golden light appeared and bound them.

"Come Potter, Let's see the world you've let burn."

"Call me Harry, and I'm pretty sure you haven't burned it."


End file.
